Up To Date

22. March 2016

This is the moment to unite, not divide.

Brussels is under attack. Humanity is under attack. This is about all of us. The Women without Borders Team is currently in Brussels where we intended to celebrate the graduation of the first attendees of the Belgian Mothers School Against Extremism. We witnessed this morning, next to our hotel the attacks at the Malebeek Metro station.The city is now on high security alert. Only yesterday evening we had a meeting with a group of youth from Vilvoorde, from where 68 youth have traveled to Syria. Their strong statements broke through the stereotypes of Muslims, immigrants, “true” Belgians and showed instead their passion and longing to be seen as citizens first.

Today is a call to stop the otherizing. To stand together for the project of civlization instead of the fortress mentality. We have to talk to each other, to get to know each other, to build up trust, community cohesion, particularly with those we perceive as The Other. We have to work on our future beyond terrorism. Drones and missiles are not the appropriate equipment. Instead of military strength, we need emotional and human capacity to push back the intrusion of evil, which is bred in the heart of our societies.